Automatic apparatus for signaling railroad trains in motion



June 5, 1923.

G. DALLA BONA Filed Aug. 11, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Juhe 5, 1923. 1,457,728,

(5. DALLA BONA A AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING RAILROAD TRAINS IN-MdTION Filed Aug. 11 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A Lia f l l June 5, 1923. I 1,457,728

G. DALLA BONA AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING RAILROAD TRAINS IN MOTION Filed Aug. 11{ 1921 3 SheetsSheet Patented June 5, 1923.

{UNITED STATES PATENT orncs.

GIUSEPPE DALLA BONA, OF COMO, ITALY.

Application filed August 11, 1921. Serial No. 491,508.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GIUSEPPE DALLA BoNmsubject of the King of Italy, residing at 9 Via Indipendenza, Como, ltaly, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Signal in Railroad Trains in Motion, of which the fol owing is a specification.

As is well known, a magnetic mass which has its main axis set vertically becomes magnetized by effect of the magnetism of the earth and this magnetism increases, causing the mass to vibrate to this principle are subjected the wheels of railroad cars, which may 16 therefore be considered, each one of them, as a magnet having its north pole below and its'south pole on top.

The ob ect of the present invention is a special automaticapparatus which receives the excitation transmitted by the magnets represented by the wheels of the railroad cars and whic has its north polarity'below and its south polarity on top, and contemplated to be placed either laterally, at some metres of distance from the railroad track,

or between the two rails of the track, without having any communication with the train. in motion and with the rails themselves. i

The present invention relates further to a receiving apparatus, contemplated to be substituted for the automatic apparatus when thelatter cannot be placed between the two rails of the track. I 85 The invention also relatesto alspecial device which generates an electric current for feeding the said receiving ap aratus without necessitating the installation of batter-v ies of cells or of accumulators which require special maintenance.

Finally, the invention comprlses a special modified relay, to be applied to the system,

as will be explained hereafter.

The invention is illustrated in one of its forms of execution in the annexed drawings,

in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the automatic receiver of the flux.

Fig. 2 shows the oscillating magnet forming part of such automatic apparatus.

/ lgs. 3,3, 3 show, in three different positions, the contact'PaWL Fig. 4. is a plan view of the interior of the pparatus. 1

Figs. 4 and 4? show, in elevation respectively the pawl which closes the contacts and the regulating device.

Fig. 5 shows the electrode cell buried in the ground, used for actuating the circuits.

Fig. 6 shows a box for containing the automatic apparatus.

Fig. 7 shows the box placed between the rails of a railroad track.

Fig. 8 shows the general diagram [of the circuits.

The automatic apparatus (Fig. 1) con "sists of a circular or polygonal base 1. of

non magnetic material, carried von three screw legs 2 and which carries in its centre a'hardened steel pivot 3 on which rests, in perfect static equilibrium, the magnet 4: by means of the pointed screw 5. This magnet (Fig. 2) consists of a bar of hardened steel, magnetized to saturation, which carries at each end the projections of soft iron 6, 7 and the platinum wire contacts 8 and 9'. In front of the said projections are arranged,

fixed to the base 1 by means of the respective brassbrackets 10, the two coils 11, 12, each having a resistance of 400 ohms, having in the centre an axial hole into which can freely enter, and issue therefrom, the projections 6, 7, and, in correspondence with the contacts 8, 9, there are also fixed to the base, by means of brass brackets, the two awls 13, 14 of hardened aluminum, provi ed with platinum wire, (not shown) adapted to slide on the contacts of the magnet. Below each pawl, and fixed by means of a screw to the respectivebracket, is a support 15 made inthe form of an S, which serves to sustain the short arm of the pawl, causing it to be held at the desired inclination towards the magnet. Each pawl must freely rotate, vertically, on its screw pivot. Mounted on the base 1 is a bracket 16 having a vertical slot 18 in which is adjustabliy spindle can be made to approach, or t 4 cede from, the magnet. ThlS spindle has the object of arresting or reducing the oscillationsof the magnet as soon as the electric circuit to be described later is interrupted. The apparatus described should be placed exactly horizontal and at a distance of not more than 4: metres from a railway track and between the two rails, in a special recess, 19, having a cover (Fig. 6) of reinforced concrete, excavated between two consecutive sleepers. In both of the positions described, the apparatusshould rest on a'solid mortar foundation so as to render it as little as possible responsive to the ground shocks caused by the passing of the train.

The magnet should besides be placed according to the meridian of thesite, with the contacts 8, 9 at a certain distance from the pawls 13, 14. The apparatus is introduced, by means of the cable 24;, into the electric circuit of a station cell 21 with the switch 22 and bell 23, and it will then be ready for a the magnet 4: to deviate towards the pawls and contact with the latter having been obtained,-

the current will flow through the pivot 3 of the magnet, through the pawl 13 to the coil 11 and partly through the pawl 14 to the bell 23 and finally reenter the cell. The coil 11 (energized by the. said current) will attract the magnet and draw the projection 6 into its axial hole and thus transform itself into an electromagnet with a metal core. And as the pawl 13 will continue to rest on the contact 80f the magnet, the current will con tinue to flow, the circuit remaining thus closed until theswitch 22 is operated. As soon as the circuit is interrupted, the'action of the coil 11 will cease and there now being nothing to retain .the magnet against the said coil, the magnet, moved by its magnetic bias and also by the thrust, in the same direction, of the pawls, will deviate with a certain rapidly towards the part opposed to the coil, its other end striking against the spindle 17, which arrests it.

If it is not convenient, for various reasons, to place the a paratus between the two rails of a track, t e same object is obtained b substituting the magnetic receiver (Fig. 4 which acts as an auxiliary to the automatic apparatus. This receiver consists of a wooden box 25, containing a magnet 26, identical with the one already described but without the projections 6, 7 and suspended in erfect static equilibrium on a pivot 3, simiarly to the one already described, fixed centrally to the bottom of the box. In correspondence with the two ends of the magnet are also fixed to the bottom of the box, the pawl 27 and the regulating organ 1? with its small spindle, except that this organ, in this case, will have attached to its extremity nearer the magnet a small piece of soft iron 28.

The eontrivance as described should be merges placed in an exact horizontal position on the bottom of the recess 19 and is fed by a specially constructed cell with its electrodes buried in the ground.

This disposition is obtained in the following manner:

After having excavated a hole (Fig. 5) in the ground adjacent to the track, the said hole is filled with good vegetable earth, homogeneous, free from stones and small pebbles, and with which has been previously mixed 2 kilos of a good chemical fertilizer (ammonium sulphate or sodium nitrate or natron chloride) to render it rich and fertile. In the s aid;earth,which should be fairly well compressed, is sunk, in the central portion, a zinc plate 29 and a charcoal plate 30. To each plate is soldered a robust lead wire or electric cable whichtraverses, perfectly insulated, the mass of earth above. The bottom .of theflsaid "hole is constituted by a layer of finemortar so as to maintain in the mass .of earth above; a suflicient and constant gradejo'f humidity.-

This .cell has the property ,of furnishing for an indefiniteperiod a constant and uniform current from-J8. to 15 millia-mperes without ever requiring maintenance. Such current iscontemplated, by means of the receiver already mentioned, to energize the coil 12 of the automatic apparatus for obtaining the indirect function hereinafter described.

The automatic apparatus is placed also at a considerable distance and height from the track, exactly horizontal, and in such posi- .tion that the magnet, instead of being free in its natural disposition according to the local meridian, exerts a slight pressure with its contacts against the respective pawls' 27: it is introduced into the circuit of the local cell 21 with the switch 22 and the bell 23.

The magnetic receiver, placed, as previously explained, on the bottom of the hole between the two rails (Figs. 1, 4 and 5 and dotted lines of connection and diagram in Fig. 8, in which A is the main magnetic apparatus shown in Fig. 1, B, B the track, P the receiver shown in Figs. 4:, 43 and 4", p a local cell, 9 the cell shown in Fig. 5, I the switch and S the bell) will have its magnet, in its natural position, in slight contact with its pawl 27. By means, then, of the regulator 17, by which it is possible to regulate the distance of the magnetic end 28 from the magnet, means will be afforded for adjusting the pressure of the magnet itself against the pawl and hence its sensitiveness to the external magnetic the track with which it is associated in such a manner that whilst it is actuated by attraction of the wheel of a car'passing over a single railroad vehicle which passes over i the automatic apparatus, being connected to the coil 12 of the latter. All the foregoing being arranged in accordance with the system, the current of the cell 9, by means of v.the' receiver, will pass to the coil 12 of the automatic apparatus and energizing it in the-sense of repulsing the magnet to a certain distance (adjustable) from the pawls, the magnet will remain fixed in that position ready to function due to the constancy of the current.

When a railroad'car passes over the receiver, the magnetic flux of its wheels causes the magnet to deviate, detaching it from the pawl, whereby the current of the cell g is cut out and, consequently, the repulsive action of the coil 12 of the automatic apparatus ceasing, its magnet 4, will return to its normal position, pressing with a certain force against'the fixed pawls, the local cell will at once enter into action with the known efi'ects, thus obtaining the signal or service desired. After the car has passed, the magnet of the receiver will return immediately to its former position, ready for 1 working, again closing the circuit of the en, finally, the station cell circuit is cut out by means of the switch I, the mag-' net of the automatic apparatus being no longer retained by the coil 11 and repulsed instead by the coil 12 and under the thrust of the pawls, will return to its position of readiness.

Having now particular described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 2-- 1. Automatic apparatus for signaling running railroad trains consisting of a metal bar rotatably mounted on a pivot and placed in such proximity of the rails as to be subjected to the magnetic attraction from the wheels of the cars, said bar being provided' with two contacts and two projections, pawls connected to a local circuit comprising a battery and a bell, said pawls being so placed as to be engaged by the bar when same ocillates due to the passage of a train, a coil in the electric circuit, said coil having an axial recess into which is drawn one of the projections on the bar as vsoon as the local circuit is closed by the pawls, and a horizontal spindle to damp the oscillations of the bar as soon as the circuit is interrupted.

2. Automatic apparatus for signaling running railroad trains, as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a receiver of substantially the same construction as the main apparatus, the contacts of which are in series with the cell and with one electromagnet of the automatic apparatus.

GIUSEPPE DALLA BONA. 

